Episode 5.10: Harvey Milk Part 2
We witness Milk’s relentless campaigning for political office, which finally saw him elected to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in 1977. His tireless efforts were often opposed by the Democratic Party establishment, including other prominent gay activists. But Milk found allies in two quite different men: Jim Jones, self-proclaimed Messiah of the People’s Temple church, and Dan White, the man who would become his assassin. This is the concluding part of our investigation into this case, and the final episode of this season of the show.
Episode 5.9: Harvey Milk Part 1
There were many versions of Harvey Milk. The teacher, the salesman, the Wall Street broker, and the hippie dropout. He was a Republican, a Democrat, a conservative ideologue, and a progressive liberal. He eschewed involvement in the gay liberation movement right up until he became its most famous face. And, following his assassination, he became a martyr for LGBT rights, even though his killer was not seemingly motivated by anti-gay hatred. This is the first of a two-part look at the twists and turns of Milk’s life and the tragedy of his death.
Episode 5.8: Steve Biko
Bantu Stephen Biko’s murder at the hands of police officers in 1977 produced an outpouring of grief and anger across South Africa. It was the latest atrocity committed by a regime that had already shown its ugly face during the Soweto Uprising the year before. The leader of the Black Consciousness Movement, in death, Biko became one of the most cherished political martyrs of the struggle to end apartheid.
Episode 5.7: Mahatma Gandhi
In the concluding part of our investigation, we witness Gandhi leading India to independence, a long struggle that was met with British brutality, ending in the communal violence that accompanied partition. Tragically, Gandhi would not live for very long in the land he had spent so many years fighting to free.
Episode 5.6: Mahatma Gandhi
The son of a local administrator in British-ruled India, Mohandas Gandhi’s political evolution took him from loyal subject of the Crown to leader of a mass civil disobedience movement that brought an end to the British Raj. This is the first episode of a two-part look at one of the most iconic figures of the 20th century.
Episode 5.5: Emiliano Zapata
From the rural backwater of Morelos State, Emiliano Zapata rose to national prominence during the Mexican Revolution, which broke out in 1910. The leader of an army of poor peasants, he waged a struggle for land reform and democratic rights for the common people, who faced harassment and exploitation by the landed elite with their ever-expanding haciendas. Though he battled his way to the presidential palace in Mexico City, he faced his demise back in Morelos, where he strove to put into action the reforms for which he had fought.
Episode 5.4: Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Part 4
In this concluding part of our investigation, we go over the findings of the two civil trials of the 1990s against Loyd Jowers, the man who publicly admitted that he was a conspirator in the plot to kill King, while James Earl Ray had merely been a patsy. In King v Jowers (1999) a jury found that Martin Luther King was murdered by a conspiracy involving Jowers and others, "including governmental agencies.” We hear further explosive allegations, and then consider the question: just how high up the ladder of power did the conspiracy to kill the leader of the civil rights movement go?
Episode 5.3: Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Part 3
By the mid-1990s, James Earl Ray had been in prison for over two decades for the murder of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Though he had confessed to the crime, Ray quickly recanted and then campaigned to clear his name. His case was taken up by William Pepper, who, with the support of members of the King family, came to believe that Ray had been a patsy, set up by a far larger plot. The evidence to support this theory was truly shocking, leading all the way to the heart of the government of the United States. This is Episode 3 of a four part investigation - we decided to extend our look into this case in order to deal with the mountain of evidence.
Episode 5.2: Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Part 2
In the second installment of our four-part look at the life and death of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., we recount his last day in Memphis, Tennessee. Then we hear how James Earl Ray was tracked down before being sentenced to 99 years in prison for the murder of the civil rights leader. However, the case was far from closed, with many people - including the King family - convinced that the truth of what happened still had to come out.
Episode 5.1: Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Part 1
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was killed on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee on April 4, 1968. The death of the foremost leader of the civil rights movement shook America, leading to nationwide rioting and a profound sense of loss that one of the noblest voices for peaceful change had been silenced. In the first installment of our investigation, we watch as the paths of Dr. King and his convicted killer James Earl Ray cross.
Season 5 commences on November 11th. The theme for this season is civil rights - people who were assassinated because of their struggle for freedom and equality. We begin our season with the life and death of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., the leader of the US Civil Rights Movement and a prominent opponent of the Vietnam War. We will then move on to explore cases from within the United States and around the world.
Episode 4.9: Kim Jong-nam Part 2
The murder of the brother of the North Korean leader by two women who thought they were taking part in a prank video was always going to be a big, sensational international news story. But when the two women were put on trial for assassinating him with the VX nerve agent, the entire edifice of the widely accepted official narrative started to crumble. Who killed Kim Jong-nam, and why? Cui bono? In the conclusion of our investigation we ask the big questions.
Episode 4.8: Kim Jong-nam
Kim Jong-nam died in Kuala Lumpur Airport in 2017. He knew that his life was in danger - being the half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un came with some risks attached. But he could never have expected to be killed by two women who believed they were taking part in a hidden camera prank video. This two-part investigation takes us through a labyrinth of North Korean machinations and global geopolitical intrigues. Concludes next week.
Episode 4.7: “Lucky” Luciano
From the mean streets of Brooklyn, Salvatore "Lucky" Luciano profited enormously from Prohibition in the 1920s, rising through the ranks of the Italian-American Mafia to become the most feared organized crime boss in the United States. A coldhearted killer and a skilled businessman, Luciano transformed the Mob into a powerful and influential nationwide syndicate that controlled large swathes of the economy, with links to politicians, celebrities, and even US military intelligence.
Episode 4.6: Lucrezia Borgia
In the concluding part of our crossover with A History of Italy Podcast, we once again pull back the curtain to witness the decadent and deadly world of the Borgias. The daughter of Pope Alexander VI, Lucrezia was one of the most celebrated beauties of her day. Enemies of the Pope alleged that she used this beauty to attract men to their doom, all part of the Borgia's dastardly scheming. We ask who the real Lucrezia might have been - the woman behind the image of the femme fatale - and then we learn about the fate of perhaps the most notorious family of Renaissance Italy.
Episode 4.5: Cesare Borgia
In a special crossover episode with A History of Italy Podcast, we dare to enter the deadly and decadent court of one of the most notorious families in history. The Borgias rose from relative obscurity in Spain to become one of the most powerful dynasties of Renaissance Italy, with the ambitious Rodrigo Borgia, who reigned as Pope Alexander VI, and his ruthless son Cesare, scheming and murdering their way to dynastic glory - and infamy. We will conclude our look at the family next week.
EPISODE 4.4: NERO
Perhaps the most infamous ruler of the Roman Empire - and maybe of all time - Nero has gone down in history as the man who strummed his lyre and sang a ditty as the city of Rome was engulfed in flames. But as with some other emperors, were the ancient historians doing Nero a disservice? Accused of slaughtering most of those closest to him, might Nero's supposed bloodlust have been a reflection of the dangerous world in which he lived?
Episode 4.3: Caligula
He's gone down in history as the mad emperor, but was Caligula really as unhinged as the ancient sources claim? Certainly his behavior seems outlandish and often bizarre, but was the emperor trying to make a point about how crazy political life was in first century Rome? In the continuation of our look at the Julio-Claudian dynasty, we explore the strange and dangerous court of Caligula, who met his brutal end after a visit to the theatre in 41 AD.
Episode 4.2: Julius Caesar Part 2
In the second and concluding part of our look at the case of Julius Caesar, we travel with the Roman dictator as he reluctantly goes to the Senate House, despite several bad omens. As dramatic as his assassination was, the events that followed proved to be even more sensational, as Caesar's funeral turned into an extraordinary scene of public mourning. In the civil war that followed, Caesar's assassins were vanquished and his heir rose to supreme power.
A transcript of the episode is available here.
Episode 4.1: Julius Caesar Part 1
We launch Season 4 of the show with a two-part look at the most famous assassination in history. Julius Caesar had been singleminded in his pursuit of glory, from his military achievements against his rivals to canny political machinations in the city. In 44 BC it looked like Caesar had won everything he'd set out to achieve: he was dictator for life, with vast wealth and almost unlimited power, and he'd even been deified. Only one title evaded him - king. Fearing that the fate of the Republic hung in the balance, Caesar's rivals conspired to murder the man they called tyrant. We will conclude this case next week.
A transcript of this episode is available here.
